Top 5 Sid Sackson Games

1. I'm the Boss

Deals, deals and more deals. If you want a free-wheeling game full of fast-paced negotiations, get yourself a copy of this incredible game. (It was originally published in Germany as Kohle, Kies & Knete.) Although you're trying to earn more cash than your opponents, you can almost never close a deal on your own -- and the other players have special cards that mean the details of the deal could change right up to the final seconds. For 3 to 6 players, ages 12 and up.

3. Can't Stop

A simple idea that results in an addictive game. Columns are numbered 2 to 12, one for each possible result of rolling two six-sided dice. Players try to move their markers to the top of three columns, but the columns representing the most common rolls (6, 7, 8) are much longer than those representing the least common rolls (2, 12). And if you press your luck too far, all your progress is lost. For 2 to 4 players, ages 7 and up.

4. Metropolis

Another game relying on negotiation, Matropolis challenges players to build a grand city. On each turn, a player chooses an area of the board and tries to cut a deal so he can build there. For 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up.

5. Domination / Focus

First published as Focus, Milton Bradley later released this classic under the title Domination. It's an abstract game with some relation to checkers, played on an octagonal board. Players build stacks of pieces as the game progresses; when a stack becomes five high, pieces are captured off the bottom. For 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up.